NOVPUBSeeing his son, though severely injured, still had a life to hang on to, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he glared at Liu Wentian, annoyed, and said, "Young man, don’t you think you’ve gone too far? Your attack was so brutal!"
By then, Teng Zhong had already realized that this young man was playing the fool but was actually a hidden dragon, far more formidable than his own son by not just a little bit!
"Too far? I don’t think so," Liu Wentian shook his head, "If I were an ordinary person, what do you think the consequences would be if that punch of his had landed on me?"
Upon hearing this, Teng Zhong’s face became stiff.
The bystanders also felt that Teng Zhong’s words were somewhat shameless. If Liu Wentian had been an ordinary person, that punch from Teng Lai would’ve taken at least half his life!
Since Teng Lai had thrown such a harsh punch, why blame others for not showing mercy?
Seeing that everyone clearly stood by Liu Wentian, Teng Zhong, as the leader of the Miao village, could not afford to offend the popular sentiment at this time.
He said nothing more and left with Teng Lai.
Once he left, everyone surged forward, very excited, as if Liu Wentian had become a hero. Clearly, Teng Lai was not well-regarded by the community usually.
When the evening festivities ended, Liu Wentian, having had his fill, followed Liu Qinglian back to her house on stilts.
By then, Liu Qinglian’s grandfather had changed into fresh clothes and was waiting for them in the living room.
Seeing the two returning, he smiled and said, "Back already."
He glanced at Liu Wentian and said, "Your hand was quite heavy, young man. You actually beat Teng Lai up to that extent."
"Grandpa, it was Teng Lai who first caused trouble for Brother Tian. It wasn’t Brother Tian’s fault!" Liu Qinglian, thinking her grandfather was going to blame Liu Wentian, quickly spoke up in his defense.
"That boy deserved it," Liu Wentian could hear the smile in the old man’s words and also noticed that he seemed to be treating him as a junior.
"He deserved it. As long as he didn’t die, it’s fine. That kid even dared to bully my granddaughter; he needed to be taught a lesson! And to think, I once considered the idea of entrusting my granddaughter to him. But now, it seems he’s clearly not worthy!" The old man’s eyes flashed with severity.
This elder was obviously not just kindly; he also had a very domineering side.
"Alright, Qinglian, you go back to your room first. I have something I want to discuss with your Brother Tian," the old man waved his hand and said.
Liu Qinglian nodded and left.
The old man asked Liu Wentian to sit down, then stared into his eyes and asked, "I heard from Qinglian that you’ve come here looking for that girl Long Yuanyang, is that right?"
"Yes," Liu Wentian said.
The old man nodded solemnly and said, "Liu Wentian, can I ask you for a favor?"
Liu Wentian, taken aback, replied, "Elder, whatever it is, just say the word. I’ll certainly help if I can."
The old man stood up, took a palm-sized wood carving from the side, handed it to Liu Wentian, and said, "Could you please take this wood carving to Long Yuanyang for me, and also, I hope you can convey some past events to her."
The wood carving depicted a family of three, a man and a woman both dressed in Miao attire, with the woman holding a baby swaddled in her arms.
The carving was exquisitely done, full of expression; happiness radiated from the woman’s face, while the man’s face bore a mix of guilt and yearning. Both of them were looking at the child.
"What is this?" Liu Wentian asked, puzzled.
"This was left by Long Yuanyang’s father before he died," the old man said. 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
"Long Yuanyang’s father? Before he died?" Liu Wentian was taken aback, not having expected that Long Yuanyang’s father was already dead, leaving behind such a carving.
Liu Wentian then asked, "Elder, what past events do you want me to convey to Long Yuanyang?"
The old man sighed and said, "I want you to tell her that there are people in this world who deeply loved her, even though they are no longer in this world."
Reminiscing, the elder continued, "In those days, I actually had a way to cure Long Yuanyang’s mother’s illness. I could transfer the poison from her body into the fetus and then induce an abortion to expel the toxin. In this way, her mother could have been saved."
"But even after I told her mother that the child, even if born, would not survive, she still refused to do it, insisting by all means to see her own child come into this world. Later, not long after Long Yuanyang was born, her mother passed away."
"Her father, because of this matter, was somewhat resentful towards her at first, feeling she was the reason for his wife’s death. But when the Gu Practitioner took Long Yuanyang away, he regretted it and wanted to take his child back. However, he was told by the Gu Practitioner that if he wanted his child to survive, he must never seek her out again," the old man narrated.
Liu Wentian couldn’t help but marvel at the greatness of a mother’s love.
That Gu Practitioner must be the one who refined Long Yuanyang into a Soul-Exiting Poison Physique.
As for not allowing Long Yuanyang’s father to see her, Liu Wentian could understand it.
Being refined with a Soul-Exiting Poison Physique involves enduring pain that a normal person couldn’t withstand, and the emotion that can make someone extremely resilient and obsessive is, arguably, resentment.
Liu Wentian could even imagine that when Long Yuanyang was in excruciating agony, the Gu Practitioner might have told her, "In this world, everybody wishes you dead. Even your father discarded you. The Human Sect watches as you suffer, waiting for you to die, anticipating your death! And if you really do die, then they get their wish!"
Perhaps Long Yuanyang had been instilled with such hate-filled thoughts from a young age, which allowed her to endure the unimaginable pain and ultimately survive!
